Terminally ill mum uses first dance to charity fundraise

Linda and Richard Tierney on their wedding day. Picture: contributed.

Linda Tierney, 57, chose a charity single as her first wedding dance.

Linda learned before Christmas that cancer, discovered two years ago in her ovaries had spread to her bowel and liver and it was likely that she would only have ten months to live.

Yet Linda, a self-confessed party animal is determined to live her life to the full and on May 12 married her partner Robert followed by a huge party with 170 guests.

Now the former senior manager with Carphone Warehouse wants the charity single to raise money and awareness for Marie Curie, the terminal illness charity.

Linda said: “I’m not spending a single minute on self-pity. All my energies are going into making memories for my children and grandchildren. I know I’m dying but I’m not dying yet. I hope by speaking out that more people will talk to their family and friends about how they want to die and get the most out of life in the meantime.

“I want to get this charity single out to as many people as possible. The first dance is one of the biggest decisions a married couple have to make and this song had the right meaning for us both and touched on us very personally. It could have been written as a first dance song. I struggle not to shed a tear at the line ‘I know the feeling of losing you, Nothing could be worse’ however there’s an emotional and uplifting crescendo which I relate to ‘Share this life with me, be the air I breathe. Love will set us free, it’s all we need’.

Lyricist and family friend Chris Onslow adds: “Linda is such a special person with an amazing outlook on how she wants to spend the time she has left. Gorgeous is her song now and her legacy. I want to raise a million for her memory and every time it’s played on the radio or a first dance at a couple’s wedding it’s a victory for her.”

A Marie Curie spokesperson said: “Linda is proving that life is about living and it’s important to talk about your wishes, no matter what time you have left. We hope the charity single will be a huge success for her and we’re so grateful that Chris and Linda have chosen to donate to us and support more people around the UK living with terminal illness.”

The single Gorgeous in aid of Marie Curie was released on download on Friday 2 June 2017. 50% of profits from the single will be donated to the charity.